Fire survivor Lovely Finish completes comeback

CYPRESS, Calif. –Lovely Finish was being walked back to the Los Alamitos stables late Thursday afternoon when trainer Joe Herrick began to plot her next race.

Minutes earlier, Lovely Finish had run third in a maiden special weight sprint for California-breds, her first start since November – and first since Lovely Finish sustained burns in the devastating fire that struck the San Luis Rey Downs training center in December. Lovely Finish was burned on her head, neck, and back, and the 56-year-old Herrick was hospitalized with burns on his head and neck.

Lovely Finish’s return to racing was a reflection of the resiliency of the filly and her trainer.

“It was satisfying to see her here,” Herrick said on the walk to the barn. “We’ll have to run her two turns and see what she can show us.”

Lovely Finish, a gray filly owned by Herrick and Red Silk Stables, bears scarring on the side of her face and neck. She resumed workouts in the spring, and had worked steadily from early August leading to Thursday’s race.

Ridden by Stewart Elliott, Lovely Finish (7-1) raced on the inside on the turn. Lovely Finish dropped back to sixth in the field of nine, but finished with interest, ending 3 3/4 lengths behind winner Great Ma Neri.

“To come back and run well is special,” Herrick said. “She needs to go farther.

“When she dropped back, I wondered if she needed a race. All of a sudden, she started trying.”

Herrick considered starting Lovely Finish in a two-turn race in the final days of the Del Mar meeting, but opted for the sprint at Los Alamitos.

Friday, Herrick wrote in a text message that Lovely Finish emerged from her race in “great” condition. Herrick said he has not taken a day off since February, when Lovely Finish resumed training, so determined was he to see her return to racing.

With that mission accomplished, Herrick is planning a vacation to Lake Tahoe, which he describes as his “favorite place.”

“I want to fish hard and jet ski hard,” he said.